December 31, 2013

OPI Partners with Music and Fashion Icon

OPI joins celebrity partner Gwen Stefani in announcing seven new limited edition nail lacquers for 2014, featuring standout color in breakthrough finishes. Highlights from the collection include a bold red lacquer that pays homage to Gwen’s signature lipstick, a new semi-matte satin finish in shades of gold and black, and a mirrored chrome paired with a special base coat.

Inspired by the 2013 Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala that featured the theme “Punk: Chaos to Couture,” OPI Executive VP and Artistic Director Suzi Weiss-Fischmann decided to create a collection of lacquer celebrating the role of music as a major influence in fashion. “With her expertise as a singer, songwriter and designer, who better to collaborate with than Gwen Stefani?” asks Weiss-Fischmann. “Known for her trademark red lips, bold eye makeup and nail art, Gwen uses beauty to accessorize her style.”

Gwen’s signature red OPI hue – Over & Over A-Gwen – is available in a boxed set, which includes Swarovski black crystals and silver, gold and pewter studs in bar, square, diamond and circle shapes for creating unique nail designs, as well as nail glue for easy application. Love.Angel.Music.Baby.and 4 in the Morning feature a new, semi-matte satin finish designed to be worn without top coat. Push and Shove, a bold chrome hue, is also worn without top coat but requires a special complimentary base coat – Lay Down that Base. One thin coat of Lay Down that Base topped with two thin coats ofPush and Shove yields an intense, mirrored finish. The collection is rounded out with two glossy crème lacquers and one sparkly glitter shade: Hey Baby, I Sing in Color, and In True Stefani Fashion.

“OPI wanted to create a collection as dramatic, diverse and glamorous as its namesake,” adds Weiss-Fischmann. “With crème and glitter hues, new satin matte texture, a mirrored chrome and SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, Gwen Stefani by OPI presents the latest in pigments and finishes, while combining elements of haute couture and street fashion.”

Gwen Stefani by OPI includes the following seven limited edition nail lacquers:

Hey Baby

I Sing in Color

,Love.Angel.Music.Baby.

4 in the Morning

In True Stefani Fashion

Push and Shove*

Over & Over A-Gwen**

Gwen Stefani by OPI nail lacquers contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application. This promotion will be available beginning January 2014 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer. The boxed set including Over & Over A-Gwen and SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS will retail for $14.95 ($18.95 CAN).

Happy New Year's Eve! I don't ever do anything for New Year's, it's not really my thing, but I hope you have something fun planned for tonight! My boyfriend and I will probably watch movies and eat a lot LOL. I haven't decided on a mani yet, but I'm thinking I might incorporate Hard Candy Crush on Amethyst! This is a gorgeous purple foil with gold flecks. If you like foils and purple, you should definitely check this beauty out. I got this for Christmas and couldn't wait to check it out, so I think I'll wear it tonight, maybe as a base for some glitter.

I haven't worn a Hard Candy polish since high school (back when the brand was at Sephora), so I wasn't sure what to expect. The formula was excellent and Crush on Amethyst was super pigmented! This is two coats, but I probably could have done one thicker coat if I had realized how opaque it was. I was expecting this to be a 3 or 4 coater honestly! The polish wanted to run towards my cuticles a little, but overall, I am impressed.

Hard Candy Crush on Amethyst is part of the Crushed Chromes collection. I need to go check the rest of these out at Walmart, I think there are some other colors I need!

December 29, 2013

After all the red and green glittery Christmas manis, I was in the mood for a palette cleanser type mani, so I dragged out the old favorite OPI Stranger Tides. Never one to leave well enough alone, I then spotted the black cat nail art stickers I recently received from Born Pretty Store!! Obviously, I could not resist these stickers, and why would I bother trying since a sheet of these is only $1.99?!

Some of these stickers have crystals, either on a "collar" on the kitty or as part of a paw (like my pinky nail) or heart. My favorites are the sitting kitty that I have here, and the one that looks like he's prancing around. Binx prances around a lot, so it really looks quite a lot like him!

These were total cake to apply- just peel the sticker off of the sheet, stick on your nail, and seal them in with a layer of top coat. They laid nice and flat, no edges sticking up anywhere, and they stayed on perfectly for the length of this mani (2 days I believe). I'm going to order some more sheets of these, they are way too cute!

*Sent for review*

You can get these stickers right now for only $1.59 (til January 3). Everything on the whole Born Pretty Store site is 20%!

I tried to get a picture of Binx in a Santa hat, but the Santa hat is too big. Also, the only time this will ever happen is when he is asleep, but I feel like it would be cuter if he were awake LOL.

December 28, 2013

Los Angeles (December 2013): Winter is a time of shimmer and shine. Frost glistens on windows, lights twinkle in the night and decorations adorn doorways. This January, give your nails a shine all their own with Crinkled Chrome from China Glaze®. High-shine chrome meets wintery pastels in this crinkled metal look.

Chrome takes on a feminine flair with China Glaze® Crinkled Chrome. Six gorgeous colours retain the sophisticated, polished appeal of the season, but add a contemporary edge and sense of novelty to winter nails.

Create an impact in one of six pastel colours:

·Aluminate – cool silver

·I’m A Chromantic – baby pink

·Crush, Crush Baby – powder purple

·Iron Out The Details – icy blue

·Don’t Be Foiled – soft teal

·Wrinkling The Sheets – light powder green

China Glaze® Crinkled Chrome will be available in January 2014 at fine salons and beauty supply stores.

China Glaze® is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze® nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook (@ChinaGlaze), Twitter (@ChinaGlazeOfficial) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).

December 24, 2013

Well, it's Christmas Eve day. That means I had better get my butt out to some stores to do my Christmas shopping, I might want to finish decorating the tree, and maybe I think about wrapping presents too (although I never really do that until around midnight on Christmas Eve). But instead of getting going on those projects, I'm going to show you some of my recent holiday Lynnderella manis! This green treat is Lynnderella Do You See What I See?, a core polish from last year's Season's Glitterings collection that is now being discontinued (more on that at the end of the post). I layered it over Revlon Posh.

Lynnderella Garnet Grace came out this summer in the Talismans and Birthstones collection and it is STUNNING! I'm copying Lynnderella's description for this one because it's a surprisingly complex mix of glitter. She says it's a "dense mix of red, burgundy and purple accented with green and orange microglitter in a clear base". This is one coat of Chanel Taboo. Garnet Grace is also being discontinued.

Next up we have a Lynn classic, Happy HoloDaze!, the perfect holiday glitter bomb mix of red, green and holo silver assorted glitters. This one is from the Holiday Houseguests collection two years ago I believe and I don't think it's around anymore. If you ever see it for sale/swap, I absolutely recommend picking it up. This is over Zoya Tomoko.

Finally we have Lynnderella Season's Glitterings, another perfect holiday glitter mix from last year's Season's Glitterings collection. This is probably my favorite Christmas polish ever. It has red and green, I feel like you need those in a Christmas polish, but it also has other colors and a ton of tiny holo glitter to add interest. This is over OPI This Gown Needs a Crown. Season's Glitterings is another beauty that is being discontinued.

*Some items sent for review, please see end of post for a list*

Now, don't panic, I believe all of the polishes on the discontinued list are still available right now. They won't stick around forever, but I think if you just send Paul a message on eBay, you'll find that you can still get them. I did purchase several polishes from this year's holiday collection, but I haven't quite gotten around to wearing them yet. A lot of them are not too holiday specific, so I'll be showing you them in a later post. Lynnderella polish is available at lynnderella.com.

I want to wish all of my readers a MerryChristmas and happy, relaxing holiday season! Thank you so much for reading, I never imagined having this many readers when I started this blog. I will be taking a few days off from posting, but I should be back by the weekend with some polishes that are NOT red and green, haha!

*Zoya Tomoko and OPI This Gown Needs a Crown sent for review. All other polishes purchased by me*

December 22, 2013

I have two polishes from SinfulColors Sheer Lustre Glitter Topcoats collection to show you, and both are festive choices if you need a last minute holiday nail idea. There are 6 polishes in the Sheer Lustre collection and all are meant to be layered over another polish to "transform your fave shades to instant glitz and glam", according to SinfulColors. This lovely gold shimmer topper is SinfulColors 24 Karat. 24 Karat could definitely add some gold pizazz to any old creme polish. It's not really glitter, there is no texture to it, but more like soft flecks of gold in a clear base.

This is one easy coat of 24 Karat over SinfulColors SinfulShine Devious. 24 Karat is packed with gold flecks, so one coat is perfect. I found this to be extremely easy to apply.

This holographic glitter treat is SinfulColors Top Me Off, a mix of blue and silver holo glitter in a clear base. This was way more holo in person- it looked more like it does in the bottle, with rainbows flashing all over the place.

This is one coat of Top Me Off over SinfulColors SinfulShine Set the Mood. I think Top Me Off could be worn on it's own in three coats or so, it was pretty dense. It applied really well, no problems at all.

*Sent for review*

I love both of these toppers, especially Top Me Off. There is also a gorgeous turquoise topper in this collection that I think I need to go hunt down. At the excellent price of $1.99, it's fun to mix and match these with other SinfulColors polishes to make new looks. These are available exclusively at Walgreens.

December 21, 2013

Nicole by OPI launches 14 new nail lacquers inspired by award-winning recording artist Carrie Underwood. This collection features a colorful mosaic of hues in a variety of finishes, including pink, red and coral crèmes; chunky and textured glitters in gold, silver and white; and rich eggplant and khaki green shades.

“Carrie is the perfect partner for Nicole by OPI. Her music evokes powerful emotions in its listeners, and we wanted to give fans a way to express their feelings through color,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole byOPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “In working closely with Carrie, we came up with 14 nail lacquers that truly encapsulate her soulful spirit and showcase different facets of her personality – from softer pastels and dark sultry shades to playful glitters.”

The Carrie Underwood Collection includes:

Carrie’d Away

Carrie’s own gold record signature shade.

Lips are Dripping Honey

This multi-gold glitter is sweet on you.

Southern Charm

Frankly my dear, this nude shade looks charming on you.

Sweet Daisy

A bouquet of southern peach blossoms.

Carnival Cotton Candy

This spun sugar pink is all about fun.

Goodbye Shoes

Hit the road, but leave me this standalone gray-green.

Backstage Pass

I want access to this brown with purple nuances.

Sing You Like a Bee

Put some of this frosty ice on that, honey!

Party Bus

Celebrate on-the-go with this party-perfect confetti glitter.

Love My Pups

Let’s “paws” for this adorably sweet pink.

Color Me Country

This soul-ful hot pink makes me want to sing.

Some Hearts

You can’t beat this romantic coral dream.

American as Apple Pie

Tradition runs deep in this classic red.

Fisher Queen

I’m hooked on this deep, deep eggplant.

Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. This limited edition collection will be in newly designed bottles featuring the NEW Nicole logo. These shades will be available January 2014 for $7.99 each at retailers including select CVS, Duane Reade, HEB, Kroger, Kmart, Ulta, Walmart, Fred Meyer, Meijer, and Harmon locations. In Canada, these shades will be available for $10.99 each at Shoppers Drug Mart, Target Canada, Walmart Canada, Jean Coutu, London Drug, and Loblaws.

December 20, 2013

Today I have two polishes from the SinfulColors Holiday Tinsel collection, a small collection of 6 bar glitter toppers. First up is SinfulColors Spiked Ice, a clear base packed with shiny black bar glitter. The glitter pieces are very reflective looking, as you can see in the pictures. They aren't like a flat black. I usually am not a fan of bar glitter, but I really like the way this looks for some reason! These glitters all lay nice and flat too.

This is two coats of Spiked Ice over SinfulColors SinfulShine Rise & Shinier. I had no trouble applying this. Occasionally pieces of glitter would stick out over the edge of my nail, but I just pushed them back quickly before the polish dried. That is to be expected of a bar glitter polish though.

SinfulColors Gold Tinsel is REALLY bling-y! Gold Tinsel is a mix of yellow gold and rose gold bar glitter in a clear base. It seems to be extra shimmery, and my camera kind of couldn't handle it in the sun. I like the mix of the two golds, it's more interesting than just plain gold bar glitter.

This is two coats of Gold Tinsel over SinfulColors Pine Away. Like Spiked Ice, it was easy to apply and I just had to push the occasional stray glitter back on to my nails. These glitters also lay nice and flat.

*Sent for review*

The other four shades in this collection are Silver Rainbows (holo silver bar glitter), Pink Icicles (pink bar glitter), Cold As Ice ("winter white" bar glitter), and Tinsel Town (blue bar glitter). SinfulColors Holiday Tinsel is available exclusively at Walgreens!